The document discusses mentoring for parish catechetical leaders. It provides context on Echo's experience facilitating mentor relationships and the archdiocese's desire to advance parish ministry. The primary goals of mentoring are faithful ministerial innovation, integrated formation and learning for the mentee, and sharing wisdom from experienced ministers. Effective mentors meet regularly with mentees, listen to understand them, engage in theological reflection, and provide a "catechetical laboratory" for experimentation and risk-taking. Common obstacles to mentoring include unclear expectations, lack of commitment, and inability to give or receive feedback. The document includes a self-assessment inventory for mentors to evaluate their skills and dispositions.

1. PART 1
The Art of Mentoring
Investing in others
for the future of
the Church

2. The Art of Mentoring
Webinar Roadmap
❖ Context for our Discussion
❖ Goals for Mentoring
❖ Some Essentials of Mentoring
❖ Common Obstacles to Fruitful
Mentoring Relationships
❖ Mentor Inventory
❖ Your Insights & Questions…

3. Context for our Discussion
❖ Echo’s 15 years of experience of facilitating nearly 250 mentor relationships
between experienced professionals and burgeoning young leaders
❖ Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston’s desire to advance parish catechetical
ministry requires a culture of mentoring among parish catechetical leaders

4. Goals for Mentoring
Primary Goals
1. Faithful Ministerial Innovation in Service
of the Faithful
2. Create necessary conditions for
integrative formation, ongoing learning
& leadership development of mentee that
allow faithful ministerial innovation to be
cultivated
3. Give mentees formal access to
experienced ministers who model and share
as appropriate the wisdom, knowledge,
skills, dispositions, training, resources
and networks they have acquired.

5. Some Essentials of Mentoring
“The experience of ministry alone does not a
good minister make…The difference between
twenty years of wisdom and one year’s wisdom
twenty times is [mentoring and] theological
reflection. It is through reflection on our
experiences that we acquire the ability to learn
from our experiences, to make changes, to be
changed.”
–Ann M. Garrido, Supervising a Ministry Student

6. Some Essentials of Mentoring
Strong Mentors:
❖ Meet Regularly & Formally with Mentees
❖ Allow Mentees to Take & Maintain the Initiative
❖ Listen & Learn about the Mentee in an Ongoing Way
❖ Lead with Questions, not Monologues about their Experience
❖ Support (not Direct) Mentees’ Integrated Intellectual, Human,
Professional & Spiritual Formation (Co-Workers in the Vineyard of the
Lord)
• Engage in Theological Reflection Regularly
• Research & Give Access to Helpful Resources
❖ Teach & Train as needed
❖ Explicitly Share Their Experience Sparingly & Strategically
❖ Engage in Their Own Mentoring
❖ Provide a kind of “Catechetical Laboratory” for the ongoing play,
study, creativity, questioning, experimentation, calculated risk-taking and
strategic collaboration faithful innovation requires
❖ Support the Short Term & Take & Remind Mentees of the Long
View
❖ Ask if and how the mentoring relationship and practices are
helpful and makes adjustments as needed

7. Common Obstacles to Fruitful Mentoring
• Unstated & Unclear Expectations of Needs & Roles
• Lack of Understanding and Valuing of All Goals of
Mentoring
• Mentor-Focused rather than Mentee-Focused
• Limited Time & Lack of Commitment
• Mentor’s Burn Out or Negative Disposition/ Mentees’
Lack of Interest or Investment
• Mentor’s Envy & Resentment of Support & Access
Offered to Mentee
• Lack of Humility—too proud or too insecure to
support another’s growth (mentor)/receive guidance or
develop (mentee)
• Resistance to Learning about Oneself
• Inability or Unwillingness to Share/Receive Honest &
Meaningful Positive & Constructive Feedback with
One’s Mentor or Mentee
• Personal/Professional Neediness
• One Size Fits All vs. Relational & Adaptable
• Misunderstanding or Under-Appreciation of
Generational, Cultural & Theological Differences
——
• At their heart, obstacles are not typically personality
based but are based in one of the above realities.

9. Mentor Inventory
Fruitful mentoring takes practice and can be learned and improved upon with honest assessment and coaching.
On a scale of 1-5, 1 being poor and 5 being excellent, assess honestly your skills and dispositions for fruitful mentoring.
Ask a mentee or colleague to assess honestly your skills and dispositions for fruitful mentoring.
SKILL/DISPOSITION INITIAL RATING COMMENTS
1. Is Accessible & Approachable……………..……………….…….…1 2 3 4 5 ______________________________
2. Possesses Positive Outlook…………………………………………1 2 3 4 5 ______________________________
3. Possesses Emotional Maturity………………………………………1 2 3 4 5 ______________________________
4. Establishes Healthy Professional Boundaries…………………….…1 2 3 4 5 ______________________________
5. Readily & Calmly Addresses Conflict……..……………….……..…1 2 3 4 5 ______________________________
6. Listens to Understand more than Speak……………………………1 2 3 4 5 ______________________________
7. Asks Thought-Provoking Questions…………………………….…1 2 3 4 5 ______________________________
8. Offers Timely & Constructive Feedback with Professionalism….….1 2 3 4 5 ______________________________
9. Possesses a Caring (Non-Parental) Disposition………………….1 2 3 4 5 ______________________________
10. Able to Admit Errors & Apologize…………………………..…1 2 3 4 5 ______________________________
11. Models Respectful & Professional Communication & Behavior.….1 2 3 4 5 ______________________________
12. Is Naturally Curious About Others……………………………..1 2 3 4 5 ______________________________
13. Encourages & Inspires Creativity & Innovation……………..…1 2 3 4 5 ______________________________
14. Solicits Feedback from Others…………………………………..1 2 3 4 5 ______________________________
15. Is Patient & Able to Take the Long View………………….……1 2 3 4 5 ______________________________
16. Takes Calculated Risks/Views Failure as Opportunity to Learn..1 2 3 4 5 ______________________________
17. Is Trustworthy & Maintains Confidentiality…………………..…1 2 3 4 5 ______________________________

10. Your Insights & Questions…

11. COLLEEN MOORE, M.DIV.
DIRECTOR, FORMATION
PROGRAM DIRECTOR, ECHO
MCGRATH INSTITUTE FOR CHURCH LIFE
MCGRATH.ND.EDU
326 GEDDES HALL
NOTRE DAME, IN 46556
CMOORE@ND.EDU
574.631.4920